Method of effecting combustion of paraffinic hydrocarbon gases and vapors



July 29, 1952 T. NAGEL METHOD OF EFFECTING COMBUSTION OF PARAFFINIC HYDROCARBON GASES AND VAPORS Filed Oct. 24, 1946 INVEN TOR.

L E M N w m w W BY 1% W Arm/2N5) Patented July 29, 1952 V VAPOBS My invention is directed toamethod of effecting combustion of paraflinic' hydrocarbon gases and vapors, and its primary objectisthe production of effective heat with..'substantially less fuel than required when burned by conventional methods.

Gaseous hy drocarbons of the paraffinic series (Culling-r) which invention relates, namely, methane, ethane; propane, andthelighter feight paraflinic vapors constituents of 'natural "gas.- having a high hydrogencontent, produce comparatively low-radiant flames of relatively low luminosity when burned by conventional methods, the.v combustion of hydrogen producing' a non-luminous, blue flame. i

Furthermore, in the combustion of these fuels by conventional methods only a very small portion of the carbon content of the hydrocarbons is liberated in the form of glowing solids-the source of radiant energy. It is obvious, therefore, that, because of the high hydrogen content of the fuels and the deficiency of glowing carbon particles, which, in addition, are dispersed and scattered throughout the widely dispersed flame, radiance is limited to a low degree of intensity, yielding effective heat far below the maximum inherent in the fuel.

My invention provides an improved method of effecting combustion of paraflmic hydrocarbon gases and vapors, wherein, before mixing the fuel with air for complete combustion, I decompose hydrocarbons to liberate carbon particles by mixing the fuel with air sufficient to support ignition, igniting the mixture, and flowing the ignited mixture in the form of a thin-wall, annular, diverging stream until carbon particles are liberated as ignited solids throughout this ignited gaseous fuel stream.

The diverging stream of ignited fuel, with carbon particles disseminated throughout the same, is then caused to flow into an annular, converging stream of combustion air, sufficient in volume to support combustion of the fuel.

By this method it will b apparent that a highly concentrated flame of intense, radiant luminosity is producedin that not only carbon is liberated as ignited solids disseminated throughout the ignited gaseous fuel stream prior to contacting this stream with combustion air, but the stream of combustion air converges toward the axis of flow, so that the burning fuel-and-air mixture is concentrated around th axis of flow instead of being dispersed to fill the furnace chamber with burning fuel, as in conventional methods, and extremely rapid combustion is,

. .k'ft d sflg t 3mm", N1 Y4 I I Application October 24, 194% s ia 1 Claim. (01. me -"1175) G COMBUSTION or therefore, effected' 'in "a relatively restricte area.

Furthermore, glowing carbon particles permeate e; xtrem ly, r p dly burn n fu l sd' only isfaliighly concentrated flame duced,' but ajflame of intensejradiant luminosity, .as'distinguished from the "diffused and characteristic relatively non-luminous ,flame "produced when burning natural gas byconventional inethods.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 isfa topplan View of the diverging". member or'hoodemployied in the practice of my method, and If Fig. 2 is a section on the line-2'2 ;-of- Fig'. l,

Referring to the drawing in detail,,2 "designates a, furnace front providedfpreferably, with convergent fuel opening ,or throat ,4 through. which fuel is admitted to the combustion chamber of the furnace. Suitably supported in front of this opening is an annular, diverging member 6 forming a chamber, spaced a short distance from the throat, thereby providing an opening 8 between the outlet edge of member 6 and the edge of throat 4, through which opening the combustion air flows in an annular, converging stream into the furnace throat or opening.

In the wall of member 6 are air inlets l0, through which air flows in volume sufficient to support ignition of the fuel.

l2 designates the fuel supply line which is inserted into the apex of diverging member 6. Inserted in the outlet of this fuel supply line or pipe I2 is a diverging member M, which is surrounded by the diverging wall outlet end N5 of the fuel supply pipe from which the member I4 is spaced so as to provide a diverging annular channel l'l, through which the gas flows and emerges in a thin-wall, annular, diverging stream.

In operation, natural gas is caused to flow continuously through supply line H! and between the members [4 and It. By reason of the fact that the members l4 and [6 form a narrow, annular, diverging channel H, the gas will flow therefrom paralleling the wall of the member 6 in a thin-wall, annular, diverging stream, mixing with air admitted through the air inlets H) in the wall of member 6 sufficient for supporting ignition. The mixture is ignited inside the chamber member 6 by means of a torch or by other suitable means common to this art such as igniter electrodes 1. The gas feed pressure and the dimensions of member 6 are such that, by the time the ignited gaseous fuel flowing in a thin-wall, annular, diverging stream through the chamber formed by the member 6 has reached the outlet of this chamber, hydrocarbons have been decomposed, liberating ignited carbon parair flows through opening 8 converging toward 1 the axis of flow, it will beapparent that the ignited fuel-and-air mixture flows forward in a stream concentrated around the axis of flow, so that, instead of spreading out to fill the furnace chamber with methods of combustion, extremely rapid combustion is efiected in a relatively restricted space,

thereby producing a higher-temperature heat;

liberating zone than can be produced by conventional industrial methods 'of burning gas for the same fuel input. I Because of these facts and because of the fact that, prior. to mixing with the combustion air, ignited carbon particles permeate the ignited gaseous fuel, the highly concentrated incande'scent carbon particles within the highly concentratedheat liberating zone produce a flame'o'f, intense radiant luminosity, as distinguished from the characteristic, relatively non-luminous, widely dispersed flame producedwhen burning natural gas by conventional industrial methods.

What I claim is:

The method of effecting combustion of natural gas, which method comprises delivering the gas underpressure into. a chamber having a divergburning fuel as in conventional ing wall in a th n-wall, annular, diverging, continuously flowing stream, mixing with the gas stream in said chamber air, suflicient for supporting ignition of the gas; igniting the mixture; advancing the ignited mixture along the divergent chamber wall in a thin-wall, annular, diverging stream until decomposition liberates ignited carbon particles}; and directing into the thin-wall, annular, diverging stream of ignited gaseous fuel, permeated with ignited carbon particles as it leaves the divergent chamber wall, an annular stream of additional air converging across the discharge end of the divergent chamber wall and sufiicient in volume to support complete combustion of the ignited gaseous fuel,

thereby to produce an intensely radiant, luminous, concentrated flame.

THEODORE N AGEL.

REFERENCES CITED 7 The following references are of. record in the file of this patent: I p

E I UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 18, 1930 

